STEPHEN HENDRY closed in on the £40,000 first prize at the Thailand Open in Bangkok after Dubliner Fergal O'Brien had let him off the hook with one expensive blunder in a high-quality quarter-final.
The world champion, attempting to win his fifth title of the season, scored a 5-3 victory over O'Brien, and today tackles Nigel Bond, who overwhelmed Australian giant-killer Quinten Hann 5-0, for a place in tomorrow's final.
Hendry had amassed 302 points and 46 minutes had elapsed before O'Brien finally potted his first ball of the contest.
The initial ray of hope for the Republic of Ireland World Cup player came in frame four when Hendry missed a green when poised for 4-0 and O'Brien grabbed the lifeline by clearing to pink.
Following the mid-session interval O'Brien tied the scores at 3-3 and stood on the threshold of a totally unexpected 4-3 lead when he fired in a 55 break at the start of frame seven.
But with the tournament favourite looking decidedly vulnerable to a shock result, O'Brien jawed a black off its spot and Hendry, as he has done so many times in similar situations during his career, fashioned a superb 68 clearance to steal it on the black.
O'Brien groaned: "It's so disappointing to have all that hard work undone by one stupid mistake. I had reversed the momentum in my favour then suddenly it all switched back with that clearance."
